EdNortonsTwin:I tried bringing $1 coins with me to mexico - the gold ones you get from the USP. I thought they'd make for a great way to tip someone less than you should have. By the time they figured out it was just a buck - I'd be on my way. Didn't go over so well.

So, I've moved on to the $2 bill for tips, when the tip should be more like $3-4.

Great Janitor:Okay, moving to make money out of cheaper materials is a bad idea. Look at Ancient Rome. They had gold coins, all was good. Then they went with zinc (I think it was zinc) coins coated in gold. The cheaper coins devalued the currency and created a rampant increase in inflation.

I hate to break it to you, but we already are on a fiat currency. All currencies are.

Virtual Pariah:JackieRabbit: What a stupid idea. You cannot do away with dollar bills. Many people never carry coins these days. I never do until I get home. Then the coins get tossed in a bowl in the kitchen. Then twice a year or so, I take them to the Coinstar. But I do use dollar bills and always want some singles in my wallet for tipping, donation jars, etc.

From a common sense standpoint, it's a great idea.The coins will last longer, and therefore be cheaper in the long run.

For a dollar coin, that may be true. but for all other denominations, it cost more to mint and distribute the coins than their face value. Also, people tend to lose coins. Not so much on paper money. And paper money is pretty darned durable. The average live span of a dollar bill is 4.8 years (according to the US Mint). Actually I envision a day in the not-to-distant future where currency will be obsolete. A know a lot of people who never carry cash. I never carry more than about 30 bucks.

What a stupid idea. You cannot do away with dollar bills. Many people never carry coins these days. I never do until I get home. Then the coins get tossed in a bowl in the kitchen. Then twice a year or so, I take them to the Coinstar. But I do use dollar bills and always want some singles in my wallet for tipping, donation jars, etc.

1) Dollar coins are easily differentiated from quarters to any normal person.2) No one like having a huge pocketful of change instead of a few flat pieces of paper in your wallet.3) It's logical to have one type of money (bills) for whole dollar amounts, and another type (coins) for fractional amounts. Forcing the dollar to be a coin effectively devalues it, as people consider coins to be 'just change'.4) Colored money belongs in a Monopoly box.